Surgical Technology

National Surgical Technology Week - 3rd week in
September

Each year, National Surgical Technologist Week is an
opportunity to promote the profession and educate the
community about the vital role that surgical technologists
play in the O.R.

General Program Information

The Lansing Community College Surgical Technology Program is
designed to cover both the academic and clinical skills necessary to
perform as a surgical technologist. The program begins fall semester
of each year. Certain prerequisite courses must be completed prior
to admission to the professional portion, the 2nd year, of this
program.

Students who plan to complete this associate degree program
follow the Phase I Admission Requirements and Phase II guidelines
for Admission Ranking.

Surgical technologists who take and pass the certifying
examination offered by the NBSTSA (National Board for Surgical
Technology and Surgical Assisting) are certified and authorized to
use the initials CST to designate their status as a Certified
Surgical Technologist. Certification can be a means of upward
mobility, a condition of employment, a route to higher salary, or a
source of national recognition.

The Surgical Technology program is nationally accredited by the
following:

Selective Admission Information - May 1st Application Deadline

The Surgical Technology Program is a selective admission program
with a limited number of openings each year. To be accepted, you
must meet the basic program admission requirements. You will be
ranked for admission based on points awarded according to additional
criteria.

All admission procedures are coordinated through the Enrollment
Services Office. They are responsible for distributing, receiving
and dating application forms. Therefore, any student desiring
admission into this program should contact Enrollment Services,
Gannon Building, Room 203, (517/483-1200), email
selective_admission@lcc.edu
to receive an application or go to
www.lcc.edu/futurestars/apply/selective/ to print an
application. The student may then contact the program advisor
for further information.

Students meeting the Phase I Admission Requirements will be
ranked for admittance into the program using a point value system.
Points will only be awarded to students who meet the Phase I
Admission Requirements at the time selection for admission is made.

The student applicant is responsible for providing verification
of other information not contained in the current Lansing Community
College official transcript.

Nature of Work

The surgical technologist is the person who stands elbow-to-elbow
with the surgeon and passes the instruments. After the surgeon, the
surgical technologist is the person closest the surgery. It is his
or her job to maintain the sterile field and to respond to the
surgeon's needs.

In operating rooms in this area, only the surgeon, the surgical
technologists, and possible a resident or intern "scrub in" or wash
hands in sterile fashion, don gowns, masks and gloves and have
contact with the surgical opening. It is the surgical technologists'
responsibility to be aware of everything going on in the room to
make sure that sterility is maintained. The surgical technologist is
also responsible for counting the instruments, needles, blades,
scalpels, sponges and other paraphernalia before and after the
operation, in cooperation with the circulating nurse. The surgical
technologists also helps physically arrange the patient for surgery.

Employment Prospects

Demand for surgical technologists is expected to increase much
faster than that for other professions, because the US population is
aging and older people generally require surgery more often.
Hospitals will continue to be the major employer, although some
surgical technologists work in the offices and clinics of
physicians. There is 100 percent placement of graduates of LCC's
surgical technology program, unless they choose not to be employed.
There is very high demand nationwide, with about five job openings
for every graduate.

Skills You Need

Surgical technologists need manual dexterity to handle
instruments quickly. They also must be conscientious, orderly, and
emotionally stable to handle the demands of the operating room
environment. Technologists must respond quickly and know the
procedures well enough to have instruments ready for surgeons
without having to be told. They are expected to keep abreast of new
developments in the field.

Other skills that are required to succeed as a surgical
technologist include: physical strength, eye/hand coordination,
critical thinking skills, concentration, good interpersonal
relations, memorization and sequencing. Prerequisite college courses
are required for admission the Surgical Technology Program.

Expected Earnings

Starting salaries for surgical technologists range from $25,000
to $35,000. The higher figure reflects shift, weekend, and overtime
differentials. An experienced surgical technologist may earn close
to $39,000 not counting the differentials mentions.

Associate in Applied Science Degree Option

Students who plan to complete the associate degree program
follow the Phase I and Phase II guidelines for Admission
Ranking. Students will follow the curriculum for the
Associate Degree Option.

Surgical technologists who take and pass the certifying
examination offered by the Liaison Council on Certification for
the surgical technologist are certified and authorized to use
the initials CST to designate their status as a Certified
Surgical Technologist. Certificate can be a means of
upward mobility, a condition of employment, a route to higher
salary, or a source of national recognition.

To view degree and certificate requirements click on the
curriculum code below.

Course Offerings

Visit the
Course Offerings page for information pertaining to courses
available during a particular semester and to view course
descriptions.

Selective Admission Information - May 1st Application
Deadline

The Surgical Technology Program is a selective admission program
with a limited number of openings each year. To be accepted, you
must meet the basic program admission requirements. You will be
ranked for admission based on points awarded according to additional
criteria.

All admission procedures are coordinated through the Admissions,
Registrar and Records Office. They are responsible for distributing,
receiving and dating application forms. Therefore, any student
desiring admission into this program should go online to
www.lcc.edu/futurestars/apply/selective/ to find the
Selective Admission Application. The student may then contact
the program advisor for further information.

Students meeting the Phase I Admission Requirements will be
ranked for admittance into the program using a point value system.
Points will only be awarded to students who meet the Phase I
Admission Requirements at the time selection for admission is made.

The student applicant is responsible for providing verification
of other information not contained in the current Lansing Community
College official transcript.

MEMORY: Remember task/assignments given to
self and others over both short and long periods of time;
duplicate settings/exposure factors of x-ray machine.

STRESS: Work with patients who may be very
young or old, critically ill or injured, or mentally or
physically deficient/impaired; work in other departments such as
surgery and emergency room, work with a constantly changing
group of staff and resident physicians, medical students, etc.

COMMUNICATION: Sufficiently for interaction
with others in verbal and written form.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE: Not use a Schedule 1 drug;
does not use amphetamines, narcotics, or any other habit-forming
drug unless prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner.

INTERPERSONAL: Interact with individuals,
families, and groups from a variety of social, emotional,
cultural, and intellectual backgrounds. Must be able to
establish rapport with patients, colleagues, faculty, and
professional staff.

Environmental Conditions

The charter of OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health
Administration) is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses,
and deaths. Since OSHA was created in 1971, work-related deaths
have decreased by approximately 62% and work-related injuries
have decreased by 42%.

As a surgical technology student you will be exposed to a
variety of substances within the work environment and hospital
sites. You can expect exposure to blood, body tissues, and
fluids. There is the potential of exposure to electrical
hazards, hazardous waste materials, radiation, poisonous
substances, chemicals, loud or unpleasant noises and high stress
emergency situations.

Upon acceptance into the Surgical Technology Program students
will be notified regarding a mandatory online OSHA Blood-Borne
Pathogen and Universal Precautions training session.

Background Check

In order for the Surgical Technology Program to be in
compliance with Michigan Public Health Code Section 20173,
criminal background checks will be completed on all students
applying for admission (or readmission) to the program.
Admission to the Surgical Technology Program will be denied for
the following:

Any felony conviction within 15 years prior to application

Any misdemeanor within 10 years prior to application that
involved or is similar to the following:

Abuse, neglect, assault, battery

Criminal sexual conduct

Fraud or theft against a vulnerable adult (as defined by the
Michigan penal code)

Once admitted to the program, students subsequently convicted
of the crimes listed above will be dismissed from the Surgical
Technology Program. It is the student's responsibility to report
changes in the status of their criminal background to the
Program Director.

What's Going On - Surgical Technology

New Surgical Technology Program Partnerships

The Surgical Technology program is seeking to become more
cost effective through partnerships with three other community
colleges, including Grand Rapids Community College, Mid-Michigan
Community College, and Jackson Community College. (An
Articulation Agreement with JCC was recently signed to allow
their students to articulate next year.) This year the program
has transfer students from MMCC and GRCC. To accommodate the
increased numbers of students, five new clinical sites were
established: Pennock (Hastings), Mid-Michigan (Midland), Central
Michigan (Mt. Pleasant), Genesis, and Eaton Rapids. The
program's ROI is improving due to the fuller sections. In
Surgical Technology, the national pass rate for licensure is
72%; however, 2006 LCC graduates experienced a 100% pass rate
(20/20 students passed!)

LCC students take top awards!

The Spring Workshop for the State Assembly of Surgical
Technologist (MSA-AST) was held on March 25th, 2006 in Grand
Rapids, Michigan. A new event was on the agenda for this Year's
Workshop: A "Scrub Bowl": This was a competition for Surgical
Technology Students to participate in answering Certification
Type questions posed to individual students, for individual
recognition and overall school recognition. From the 17 programs
across the State of Michigan, a number of programs had student
representation. LCC had 8 of 21 students in attendance, with 6
students participating in the competition. Joe Long was
recognized for his contribution to the State Assembly Board, as
he received a Certificate of Appreciation for his term
completion on the Board. The most exciting part of the day-long
event came when Kelly Shaw took first place in the competition
and Jeff Sutliff took third place in the competition; both
students from the LCC Program. And, the Overall Grand
Championship Award in the competition was Presented to Lansing
Community College; as Joe Long accepted the award for the
school, someone in the audience proclaimed, "What are they
putting in the water in Lansing?"; alluding to the fact that we
took 1st, 3rd and the Overall Trophy. It was a most exciting
day! We should all be proud of the accomplishment of these
students and all students that took part in the competition. A
little "icing on the cake" occurred when Jon Lueth (another LCC
student) won the 50/50 drawing and received $129.00. We were all
"riding high" on the trip back home to Lansing!

While the site may not be updated as of yet, you might fine
more information on the State Assembly site (check out
"workshop"):
www.msa-ast.org

Program Award

The LCC Surgical Technology Program recently received an
award from the Liaison Council on Certification for the Surgical
Technologist in recognition of "100% of program graduates who
attempted the National Certification Examination in 2002
achieved the status of CST (Certified Surgical Technologist)."

Watch for more news and happenings in the Surgical
Technology Program!